2025

Feel the Grass Under the Weight of the Sun
2025, oil on canvas, 73x91cm

A Perfect Day for Picking Blackberries in London
2025, oil on canvas, 160x180cm

A hand-drawn artwork of a nude woman with long hair, surrounded by wild grapevines, with a large circular background resembling the earth, featuring a scenic landscape of mountains, trees, and a blue sky.

Works from the residency in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria

In Front of the old Wheel of Life
2025, oil on canvas, 81x100cm

In Front of the old Wheel of Life
2025, oil on canvas, 81x100cm

2026

Her Kingdom
2026, oil on canvas, 76x76cm

2016-25

The Trampoline
series

The Trampoline 2018, oil on canvas, 89x116 cm
The Trampoline 2020, oil on canvas, 100x135 cm
The Trampoline 2018, oil on canvas, 100x130 cm
The Trampoline 2018, oil on canvas, 100x130 cm
The Trampoline 2016, oil on canvas, 100x135 cm
The Trampoline 2019, oil on canvas, 100x130 cm
The Trampoline 2025, mixed media on paper, 35x50 cm

2024

With Them

Part of the works that were shown on my solo exhibition in Dryanovo, Bulgaria

A painting of a man with gray hair, a beard, and mustache, looking down at a woman with long dark hair, holding onto his shoulder, with the woman's face pressed to his chest. The man appears to be emotional.
An oil painting of an elderly man with gray hair and a beard, smiling while cuddling a young child with brown hair. The man is resting his hand on his face, and they are close together, sharing a tender moment.
A portrait painting of a young boy with brown hair, large dark eyes, and a serious expression, wearing a pink shirt with a hint of green and red background.
An abstract painting of a man and a young boy, with the man holding a flower near the boy's face.
A painting of two people, one with their face hidden and the other with a pained expression, using bold brushstrokes and vibrant colors.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
2024, oil on canvas, 40x30cm

Solar Eclipse
2024, oil on canvas, 130x100cm

Fragmented Memories
2024, oil on canvas, photo transfer, 100x80cm

Submersion
2024, oil on canvas, 120x150cm

Kitchen Triptych
2024, oil on canvas, 160x100cm

Watercolor painting of a nude woman sitting on a bench with arms raised above her head, set against an abstract background.
Watercolor painting of a family of four, sitting together. An adult male is seated with three children around him, all smiling. The painting uses warm tones with purple shadows.
Watercolor painting of two young children, one standing behind the other, with the front child wearing a striped shirt and the child behind them holding their hair up.
Watercolor painting of four people, some on phones, with abstract and partially recognizable features.
Colorful artwork displayed on a white wall, including a poster of a man in mid-air with arms outstretched, and a string of small watercolor paintings of abstract faces and shapes hanging from a wire.

         The paintings of Albena Petkova present an intimate diary of a completely free person, someone who lives in their own personal world. At first glance, the paintings in her exhibition appear as a series of portraits with very simple titles. Various selected images, which the artist found in family photo albums, are used in their creation. 

         Once this is understood, the picture of an interconnected world, a story that encompasses an entire life, gradually unfolds for the patient viewer.

         The artist's paintings clearly speak of a painfully sensitive observation and vision beyond the visible, revealing unexpectedly deep wisdom and tranquility for the age of 28.

         Today, in our time when the term "traditional family" is politically manipulated, and when the values we live by are in a time of crisis and uncertainty, it is natural for an exhibition to emerge that is not afraid to reject all that is unnecessary—both unreasonable denial and obliging ideology that places life in narrow confines.

         It is particularly wonderful that such a view of the personal world can be shown in a house built by Kolyo Ficheto, a renowned figure in Bulgarian architecture. Sometimes it is possible to forget the home even while living in it. Life itself can impose other priorities, different dynamics, and a different language of thoughts, which can be infinitely distant from the harmony of a Bulgarian house, founded on eternal aesthetics. What remains for us in this confused world? The subconscious, which merges these words: "home" and "family."

          Albena Petkova's exhibition shares its freedom beyond definitions. In her paintings, the past does not need to be locked away; nor does it need to dominate life today or tomorrow. The home remains a home, where the best is always yet to come.

          Serafim Devolsky
            London-Kostur-Dryanovo '24.

2023

Colorful painting of children and a dog by a small creek in a lush green setting with trees and plants, depicting a serene outdoor scene.

In the Silence the Birds are Heard
2023, oil on canvas, 150x180cm

By the Fire we are Lit
2023, oil on canvas, 135x114cm

Gulps of Air
2023, oil on canvas, 80x115cm

Upward Glance
2025, oil on canvas, 27x30cm

2022

Painting of a group of riot police officers wearing helmets, walking along a paved path next to a grassy area with a green hedge on the left. In the background, there is a large pink building and a man practicing martial arts or yoga on a bench near a tree. The scene appears to be outdoors, with a cloudy sky.

Something Like a Landscape
2022, oil on canvas, 120x190cm

Imaginary Heroes
2022, oil and acrylics on canvas, 120x150cm

Colorful drawing of a young boy in a forest shooting a toy gun, wearing a white t-shirt, shorts, pink socks, and sneakers, with a backpack.

2021

A vibrant, colorful painting divided into two halves, depicting women and men enjoying leisure activities around a swimming pool and a grassy outdoor area, with hills and trees in the background.

Summer Diptych
2021, oil on canvas, 170x200cm

Joseph Beuys with the Hare
2021, oil on canvas, 180x130cm

The Take off
2021, oil on canvas, 180x200cm

2020

A painting depicting a group of people in a creative or casual setting, some seated and some standing, engaging in various activities such as smoking, talking, and looking around. The background includes a stage with performers and colorful, abstract elements.

Party?
2020, oil on canvas, 170x180cm

Exhalating Flamingo
2020, oil on canvas, 135x140cm

Just Before Midnight
2020, oil on canvas, 100x135cm

Morning Ema
2020, oil on canvas, 100x135cm

The Birth of the Flamingo
2020, oil on canvas, 100x130cm

Night Time Story
2020, oil on canvas, 100x130cm

2019

A group of people sitting around a long dining table engaged in conversation, with some drinking, in a cozy restaurant setting.

Afternoon in Studio 51
2019, oil on canvas, 80x100cm

Ema 2019, oil on canvas, 110x170cm
Sliding 2019, oil on canvas, 100x130cm
Warm Water 2019, oil on canvas, 38x55cm
Deyan and Ema 2019, oil on canvas, 100x130cm
Deyan and Ema 2019, oil on canvas, 81x116cm
Christmas Themes 2019, oil on canvas, 120x170cm

2017

Painting of a man sleeping on a bed with one arm and part of the face visible, rendered in vibrant, expressive brushstrokes with blue and orange hues.

Sleeping
2017, oil on canvas, 130x150cm